1. Field of this Invention
This invention relates broadly to an exercise apparatus and, more particularly, pertains to an exercise apparatus which is capable of performing a variety of efficient muscles building and toning exercises, and cardiovascular exercises in a single machine.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Although there are a variety of multiple muscle exercise machines, they do not effectively combine a variety of muscle building exercises for the whole body with a variety of cardiovascular exercises for the major muscle groups of the body. Thus, until now, it hasn't been possible to find, within one machine, a true complete body workout for muscle building, toning, and cardiovascular training. Ellis et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,833 and Cheng in U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,669 describe machines built to provide for a variety of muscle building exercises. However, the setup does not provide for efficient exercise. The resistance/force provided is in one direction at a time. Thus, if a person wanted to exercise the muscles that push, and the muscles that pull back (as the arms will naturally need to do in order to return to their original position to repeat the pushing motion), which is the way all muscle groups in the human body work, it would require the changing the setup of the machine or the position of the person performing the exercise. The muscles that would “pull back” are actually in a state of constant relaxation. Even when returning to the original position on these machines, it would still be the muscles that “push” which are being used to resist the machine's force directed toward the return to the original position. Thus, one would be required to reverse their position, or change the setup, to work those muscles which “pull”. This is a very inefficient use of workout time. Furthermore, the resistance is attached to a linear mechanism moving a weight up and allowing gravity to pull it down, so that it is impossible to workout in a complete rotational motion—thus achieving a cardiovascular workout similar to a bicycle motion. The machines are simply not designed to offer any type of true cardiovascular workout. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,340 the Multi-functional Exerciser is designed to provide a multi-muscle workout as well. But, once again, the limitations of a single direction resistance/force and the limit of a linear resistance mechanism result in a machine that doesn't offer both, a complete muscular and cardiovascular workout. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,361,476 and 5,902,215 are both examples of cardiovascular exercise machines which apply rotational resistance technology, but are limited to one exercise, and provide no design for targeted muscle building exercise. A simple trip to the local gym, someone's home gym, or a late night infomercial viewing, will demonstrate that there exists a large variety of exercise equipment that is geared toward exercising people in a cardiovascular way—working the legs and upper body in a rotational fashion, as well as a large variety of machines targeted at working on muscle building—either targeting individual muscles with a single machine, or multiple muscles with a universal machine similar to the previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,669 by Cheng. It is evident that, until the production of the present invention, there doesn't exist a machine that will, as efficiently as possible, allow for the targeting of all major specific muscle groups for exercise, as well as address the need for an extended cardiovascular exercise within one machine. The present invention, with its design offers the capability to work both the “pushing” and “pulling” muscles of opposing muscle group sets such as bicep and triceps during the same exercise. This reduces the potential workout time in half, as well as offering the cardiovascular workout advantages. These are two critical components recommended by fitness experts, but, until the present invention, not offered in one simple machine.